Thundarr the Barbarian
THundarr the Barbarian was a very watered down Clonan-Clone of Conan.All the sex and intelligence was taken out,and was left was mindless violence in a Hana Barbara manner. Thundarr the Barbarian Tropes * Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Search * Follow TV Tropes Edit Page Related History Add Review Discussion More Follow Western Animation / Thundarr the Barbarian Awesome Trivia WesternAnimati… WMG YMMV Create New https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1eb617a372e7527c13498956b56ca424.jpg "The year: 1994. From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction! Man's civilization is cast in ruin! Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn... A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil. He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!" In the year 1994, civilization was destroyed in a mighty cataclysm. (What? You don't remember that happening?) Some 2,000 years later, the world is still a pretty big mess, with many of the survivors' descendants having mutated into hideous monsters. Those who still remain human live precariously amongst the ruins of the old world, at the mercy of evil sorcerers who've managed to combine the technology of yore with ancient mysticism and create magic-fueled weapons of awesome power. *Into this broken world rides our muscular hero and his sidekicks, the magic-wielding Action Girl Princess Ariel and the Chewbacca-like Ookla the Mok, a catlike, superpowered giant who communicates largely in growls. Together these three heroes ride the length and breadth of the post-cataclysmic world righting wrongs and protecting the shattered remnants of humanity from whatever dangers may threaten. *Created by the production team of Ruby-Spears with the help of comic book writer Steve Gerber and artists Jack Kirby and Alex Toth, this show was one of the better Conan-inspired Heroic Fantasy shows of the early 1980s. (Toth's character designs for the leads can be easily found online. This was after they filled off Mighty Samson,Conan,Star Wars. *One of them is of Ariel naked.) The opening sequence alone (which featured the flashy destruction of Earth) was enough to secure its place in the memory of many a kid from that era, who undoubtedly breathed a sigh of relief when 1994 had peacefully come and gone. A number of 90s kids remember the same opening, as Thundarr was a staple of the fledgling Cartoon Network, alongside shows like Centurions. *This show provides examples of: Action Girl: Ariel, whose versatile magic ability sometimes conveniently failed when the time came for her to be taken hostage or rescued (She can't cast spells when her hands aren't free). She managed to keep from slipping into Faux Action Girl territory, though, by her wit, intelligence and the genuine usefulness of her powers when the script allowed her to use them. After the End: The show takes place after The End of the World as We Know It. *Aliens and Monsters: Common. One episode had an alien monster which was intelligent and possessed magical powers, but which did not speak and was collecting humans in cocoons, presumably so as to eat them later.. All Love Is Unrequited: Ariel for Thundarr. Well, he does get pretty mad whenever she's endangered or threatened so maybe her love is not completely unrequited. *Always Chaotic Evil: The wizards. Ambiguously Brown: Ariel. Apocalypse How: Planetary Societal Collapse. As Lethal as It Needs to Be: The Sun Sword could cut through inanimate objects and Mecha-Mooks as if they were tissue paper. But the moment he tried to strike down a living foe, the Sun Sword inexplicably didn't work. (At least the writers lampshaded this by having Thundarr express surprise, dismay or both at this.) Barbarian Hero Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Ariel is always immaculately groomed and her outfit is in perfect condition. In fairness, she is a sorceress and can magically keep herself looking good. *Berserk Button: Do not threaten or harm Ariel. Thundarr takes it extremely poorly. He also doesn't hesitate to dive into battle when he sees humans in danger. Bland-Name Product: Ookla, at one point, reads a comic book from "Marble Comics". Brain in a Jar: One villain was a scientist who was mortally wounded in the apocalypse who he kept his brain alive through a combination of life-support technology and magic.Thundarr the Luddite,just smashed everything. *Brainy Brunette: Apart her knowledge of magic and ancient history, Ariel,who looks Asian by the way, also has more common sense than any hero or villain on the show. Catch-Phrase: Thundarr's "Demon Dogs!", "Lords of Light!" and his battle cry, "Aaaaaaaahhhhh—ee!" Plus, the catchy and inspiring, "Ariel! Ookla! RIDE!" *The Chick: For the era the show hails from, Ariel avoids Chickification to a surprising degre. She's still "the feminine voice" of the team, sure, and Depending on the Writer she can be placed in peril, but by and large she's treated as perfectly competent and a worthy, valuable companion to Thundarr. Ookla or Thundarr are sometimes briefly the dude in distress and Ariel is the rescuer, which was uncommon when the series originally aired. *Colossus Climb: Thundarr often climbs giant monsters when he does this. The Comically Serious: Thundarr seems to be going for The Stoic, but in the face of Ariel's wisecracks and other comedic events he often comes across as this. * Convection Schmonvection: The Power Trio could ride their horses over partly submerged rock sticking out of a pool of lava. Deadpan Snarker: Ariel, generally in contrast to Thundarr. *Defector from Decadence: Ariel was the stepdaughter of the wizard Sabian, holds the title of "princess" from an undefined source and is herself a quite formidable sorceress. By all the standards of their world, she should be part of the ruling elite, not riding around on a horse with a barbarian and a Mok playing heroine to the unwashed masses. * Detonation Moon: The cracked Moon and its shards are a massive, mute reminder that this is After the End. Dying Earth: The indiscriminate fusion of magic and scientific technology, the post-Apocalyptic decadence and feudalism of the villains (sanitized for Saturday morning cartoons), the love of glowy energy attacks: this series clearly participates in a Lighter and Softer version of the SF subgenre created by Jack Vance. *Empathic Weapon: Thundarr's Sun Sword, which could be wielded only by him. The End of the World as We Know It: As part of the show's lore. Everything's Better with Princesses: Ariel is called one. Evil Sorcerer: Just about any bad guy who isn't a Mad Scientist. Fake Wizardry: In the episode "Master of the Stolen Sunsword", Thundarr battles Yondo, a "wizard" whose powers turn out to all be fake and based on stage magic. Despite this, Yondo is a formidable opponent for Thundarr and company, giving them more trouble than many real wizards they battled. *Family-Friendly Firearms: Thundarr's Sun Sword, which may have been a Shout-Out to — or a direct rip-off of — Luke Skywalker's lightsaber note . More conventional laserlike Energy Weapons tend to be standard issue for the various Wizards' monstrous mutant Mooks. Another example: the werewolves turned their victims into werewolves by holding their glowy claws kinda near the victim. Thundarr made sure never to use his Sun Sword on a living creature. He would not start in with the hack-and-slash until after he discovered that his enemies were robots; just to make sure we in the audience understood, he would then bellow, "They are machines!" *Fashion Model: One was brought back from the past during a Fashion Show, and ends up in a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy where she gains superpowers and helps stop a wizard, who kidnapped her to prevent that. She also spends the episode in the dress she was modeling. Feudal Future: Most people are effectively either serfs or slaves to wizards who rule over fiefdoms surrounding their citadels of sorcery and/or science. *Fun with Acronyms: An In-Joke. Ookla (the Mok) is named after the University of California, Los Angeles → UCLA → "ookla".It also comes from Kookla,Fran and Oalie.Puppets from a television series. *Functional Magic: What it is and why it became so prolific after the Cataclysm is unspecified. But in Time Travel episodes it is shown to work even in the 20th Century, implying that it was really rediscovered rather than something which did not exist in the past at all. Half-Human Hybrid: Most of the enemies. Hellish Horse: Ookla's mount (an "equart") is half-horse, half-bug... and 100% awesome. Human Popsicle: One episode centered on a trio of human scientists, cryonically frozen since the 20th century, who are awakened by our heroes. Of course, one of them Monster Faints upon seeing Ookla. Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Not only did mooks seem incapable of hitting Thundarr, but they always ran forward while firing, moving into close combat with the barbarian for no apparent reason. *Insistent Terminology: Thundarr seems to reserve the use of the term "wizard" for the Sorcerous Overlords that oppress humankind. Ariel is not a "wizard", she is a "sorceress" (and don't call her a "witch" either). Intelligible Unintelligible: Ookla speaks only in unintelligible growls, but Thundarr and Ariel have no problem understanding him. Kirby Dots: Since Jack Kirby did the storyboarding artwork. Land in the Saddle: Once an Episode, minimum. In one early episode, Thundarr does it from the top floor of a ruined skyscraper, carrying Ariel, without injury (to himself or his horse, whose spine somehow withstood the weight of two adult humans falling several stories). Laser Blade: The Sun Sword. *Leotard of Power: Ariel wears one. Lightning Bruiser: Thundarr is both strong and agile, often pulling off Combat Parkour moves, especially when fighting giant monsters. Loincloth: Thundarr wears one. Lost Technology: Often sought after by wizards and those seeking to protect themselves from them alike. Magitek: At times it's hard to tell if something is supposed to be magical or just Magic from Technology. Also, Ariel and other wizards have shown that they can repair and power ancient vehicles using magic. Magic Knight: Ariel, in a manner of speaking. While she could be a Squishy Wizard, she is actually fairly acrobatic and more of a Fragile Speedster who is not to be underestimated. *The Magocracy: There is a Council of Wizards, which is never depicted onscreen, but which the young wizard Artemus is very keen to impress. It is implied that there is at least some kind of loose government consisting of powerful wizards, although the overall system would appear to be feudal, with the wizards being akin to allied rulers at best. Mecha-Mooks: Thundarr tore into many a goon before discovering that they were "Ma-chiiiiiines!" Mega Manning: Ariel has the ability to learn an evil wizard's spell simply by watching him cast it. Mix-and-Match Critters: The non-humanoid monsters are generally of this sort. *Ms. Exposition: Ariel often explains where they are and its historical significance to Thundarr and Ookla (and the audience). Mutants: All over the place. Many wizards appear to be mutant humans, although it is not clear whether their mutations are the reason for their ability to wield magic or a side-effect of it. Never Say "Die": "Destroy" was used in reference to humans and other living beings oftentimes when "kill" was clearly meant. No Indoor Voice: Thundarr speaks in an almost perpetual shout. Ookla's growls aren't exactly quiet either. Oblivious to Love: Thundarr toward Ariel's romantic overtures. *Pelts of the Barbarian: Thundarr wears what is basically a brown fur vest and loin cloth. Every other barbarian we see also has a fur costume of some sort. *Poorly Disguised Pilot: Two, one for a trio of super-powered women and another for a teenage gender-flipped version of Thundarr and Ariel (while poor Ookla is represented by their steed, an annoying mutant vulture-lizard with two tails) Power Trio: Ookla — Id, Ariel — Superego, Thundarr — Leader. Also, Thundarr— The Hero, Ookla— The Big Guy, Ariel— The Chick (she's also something of a Rebellious Princess, and a White Magician Girl). *Ragnarök Proofing: It's very doubtful that the working machinery and the wrecked cars that everybody tosses around like footballs would be anything but dust in the year 3994, unless the world-ending cataclysm had, as one of its side effects, the stoppage of rust formation. Scavenger World: Many humans and other beings live in the ruins of ancient structures and even wear oddly well-preserved 20th Century clothes. *Resemblance to Bruce Jenner.Thundarr looks like Bruce Jenner. *Schizo Tech: Because of the lack of cohesive society. Wizards tend to accumulate a lot of advanced technology and live in high-tech fortresses. The average human lives what is at best a Medieval lifestyle. Science Fantasy: In a big way! Wizards whose Mooks use Ray Guns are just the beginning! Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale: It would probably take millions of years — not the couple of thousand years that it takes in the show — to create a population of different, apocalypse-adapted species. They are mostly modified by magic. So, A Wizard Did It, literally. Only one (non-robot) monster was explicitly non-magical in origin; a genetically engineered relic from the Science Age. The "two thousand years" mentioned in the opening — when most of the ruins look like they're less than two hundred years old— probably qualifies for No Sense of Scale too. The runaway planet that passed between the Earth and the Moon appears to have stripped away much of the Earth's atmosphere. The resulting damage to the environment probably arrested the deterioration the ruins would have experienced so we don't get the full Life After People effect. Lest we forget, a "runaway planet passed between the Earth and the Moon." The thing that whizzes by is not only going at a ponderous speed for an interstellar body, but also seems to only be about the size of the moon itself. And you thought arguing over Pluto being considered a planet was rough! However, the moon is over five and a half times as massive as Pluto. Anything moon sized pretty easily qualifies as a planet — in terms of scale, at least. The "runaway planet" is shown cracking the moon with its passing, and ripping away Earth's atmosphere. "Man's civilization being cast into ruin!" would be the least of the problems for any lifeform still alive after that. *Screaming Warrior: Thundarr is wholly incapable of fighting quietly, and Ookla is not much better. Only Ariel seems capable of subtlety (conveniently her spells do not require any spoken words). Shadow Discretion Shot: Pretty pointless one, too. We see the woman turn into a werewolf onscreen, then we see her shadow changing before she turns to attack a helpless human. Shout-Out: The leader of the werewolves is named "Zevon". In the Elementary episode "One Watson, One Holmes", Watson identifies a suspect by offering him a rare Ookla the Mok lunchbox. Solitary Sorceress: In "Island of the Body Snatchers" the witch Circe (no relation to the Circe from Classical Mythology) lives alone on an island except for mooks she keeps as soldiers and servants. *The Smart Girl: Ariel apparently spent most of her childhood studying in her stepfather's extensive library when she wasn't practicing her magical skills. Thus she is often the most educated character barring other wizards. Sorcerous Overlord: About half the villains, as befits the muscle-bound hero with the epithet "the Barbarian". Super Strength: Thundarr definitely has this, although exactly why is unclear since he is supposedly human. Ookla is somewhat more justified. *Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Jack Kirby created Gemini, a virtual dead ringer for Darkseid, particularly after Gemini is... Taken for Granite: The ultimate fate of recurring villain Gemini. Thud and Blunder: A good example of the genre. Thundarr is somewhat more articulate and intelligent than many other Thud And Blunder heroes, though; his "barbaric" behavior and apparent ignorance is due to lack of knowledge (as wizards seem to hoard the majority of recorded information for themselves), not lack of intelligence. *Time Travel: A magic portal delivers our heroes to the late 20th century. They receive help in their mission from a 10-year-old girl, whom they leave behind at the end, This example contains a YMMV entry. It should be moved to the YMMV tab.presumably to die in the cataclysm about a decade later. *True Companions. Ariel was sometimes annoyed by Thundarr's impulsiveness and stubbornness, and Thundarr was sometimes annoyed by Ariels's snarkiness and habit of giving history lessons at every opportunity. But the two of them (and Ookla) were completely inseparable and devoted to each other. *True Blue Femininity: Ariel. Unequal Rites: Ariel is a sorceress. She will angirly correct anyone who dares call her a "witch". The Unintelligible: Ookla. What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Most of the enemies are mutants and evil disfigured wizards, so our heroes are pretty much free to attack them. *Dismemberments and mutilations, though, are usually reserved for robots. Previous Index Next Rick and Morty Adventure The Thief and the Cobbler UsefulNotes/The Dark Age of Animation Tom and Jerry Tangled: The Series Fantasy Western Animation ThunderCats (1985) Thomas the Tank Engine Western Animation of the 1980s ThunderCats (1985) Team Galaxy Science Fiction Western Animation Time Jam: Valerian 38 Laureline Ruby-Spears Superman Creator/Ruby-Spears Turbo Teen The Great Grape Ape Saturday Morning Cartoon Uncle Croc's Block The Three Friends and Jerry Western Animation Thunderbirds Are Go Ask The Tropers Trope Finder You Know That Show... 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Privacy Policy Thundarr This article is about the television series. For the character, see Thundarr. Thundarr the Barbarian is an early 1980's Saturday morning animated television series, created by Stever Gerber and produced by Ruby-Spears Production. The series lasted for 2 seasons, 1980-1982. Thundarr The Babarian Facebook Twitter Google Plus Add to Favorites Plus By onetrueciscell onetrueciscell · January 30, 2012 0 Plus Viral 1 6 Stories That Prove Instagram Influencers Are The Worst 2 23 Inspirational Scenes That Come Pretty Much Out Of Nowhere 3 5 Annoying Things They Don't Tell You About Being A Parent See More Thundarr the Barbarian was a Saturday morning cartoon produced by Ruby/Spears (NOT Hanna / Barbera) that took children away from the happy world of talking dog detectives and friendly Super Heroes to a grim post-apocalypse. WAIT!!! WTF???? this is the world Princess ariel didn't want to be a part of.. Ironically, THIS Ariel came second. Moks only upset me. Just The Facts Thundarr the Barbarian was a Saturday Morning Cartoon based in a post-apocalyptic world. A Sunsword is in a very real and non-copyright infringing way not a 'light saber.' Thundarr the Barbarian was created well AFTER Conan the Barbarian. Thundarr's cartoon did come out before Schwarzenegger's movie. The Princess Ariel in Thundarr did pre-date the Pricess Ariel in the Little Mermaid by nine years. The gravely voiced actor who gave us Thundarr The Barbarian is the same lispy voiced actor who was Boris the Hangman in Blazing Saddles AND Robin Hood: Men in Tights. TIGHT TIGHTS!!! A Thundarr Retrospective OR A Planet is coming and You can't stop it. Picture it. Its 1980 and you are between 5 and 10 years old. The greatest thrill in your young Atari laden existence is Saturday Morning Cartoons. You know that Soul Train is just going to kill cartoon enjoyment for the next week. Most of your entertainment so far has entailed talking dogs stopping exploitive real estate investors dressed up as ghosts. Your life is filled with a lot of talking animals. Up to this point, your dreams may have consisted of being a hanger on for a team of Super Heroes who, while friendly, possibly could have left you to die because of potentially galactic threats. Then, all of the sudden... you see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAobPugvsk. ... A Saturday Morning Cartoon is now telling you to put down your bowl of Fruity Pebbles because in 14 years a rogue planet will destroy all you know. The last ominous warning is that the city of Atlanta, Georgia will be relatively unchanged. This will not be the Atlanta, Georgia that Phillip J. Fry visited. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aDK6tOwF68 ) Its confusing, but Thundarr had a post apocalyptic Atlanta and a Princess Ariel but no Mermaids. You are paying attention because now you only have potentially 14 years to nail the already slutty looking fellow third grader down the street. Now, in addition to long division, you have to worry about ROGUE planets stealing the Earth's Atmosphere in the year 1994. You won't be around to see it, but in 2000 years some guy will get to play with a Sunsword. Again, this is a SUNSWORD and not a light saber. A Light Saber would be an elegant copy right protected weapon in a galaxy far far away. A Sunsword is,,, well... its a freakin' Sunsword and Lucasfilm can't sue! The actual ... you know ... plot. Princess Ariel (who is not part fish) helped rescue Thundarr The Barbarian (who was not created by Robert E. Howard) and Ookla the Mok (who is not a Wookie) from her evil step father (who was a sorcerer.) The evil step father is kind of the bad guy of the whole series. We never actually really see him defeated. Ookla looks like the offspring if that lion man thing from the Flash Gordon cartoon had humped a bear. It is never really said what kingdow Princess Ariel rules over. Valdosta, Georgia stands to be as good a guess as any for her kingdom. At any rate, she is pretty hot for Thundarr but he is usually too busy Barbarian...ing to really take any interest. Ookla ( pronounced kind of how college student's pronounce Ucla ) never really comments on whether he is hiding his hairy schlong in Princess Ariel in times of need. However, the thought may excite the nearly non-existent realm of Thundarr the Barbarian fan-fiction. Thundarr's (and friends) mission in life is too stomp out sorcery (which is almost always evil 2000 years in the future) so that the world can once again be ruled be by brute strength. To accomplish this, Thundarr wields a magic sword. Princess Ariel is a Sorceress but its ok to use magic to fight magic. She also appears to be held at bay by either want of revenge against her step father or she's just really horny. Its a thankless job with very little pay, but you wander the ruins to stop sorcery in a post apocalyptic world. What about that does not say KID'S ENTERTAINMENT? What Thundarr Rips Off and what Thundarr Doesn't Rip Off It can be argued (though probably not successfully in a court of law against an army of Mouse House lawyers) that Disney LOVES Thundarr The Barbarian references. First of all, thee is Princess Ariel (which Thundarr had first) that was the name of the title character in Disney's The Little Mermaid. Second, the very first episode of Thundarr the Barbarian was titled Secret of the Black Pearl. Again, this would get trounced in a court of law because after all Secret of the Black Pearl is like completely a word different than Curse of the Black Pearl. As far as a morning's worth of googling can detect, Lucasfilm never got bent out of shape or sent a cease and desist letter claiming that Thundarr's Sunsword had anything to do with a light saber. Of course, by the end of Thundarr's run, two Star Wars movies had been released. Lucasfilm was too busy filling its own Saturday morning slate with high brow and incredibly nuanced entertainment like Droids and Ewoks. The confusing part for kids raised on Thundarr is that they had never heard of Robert E. Howard's Conan The Barbarian. So when Thundarr goes off the air, all of the sudden you have a movie that comes out about barbarians ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCd7MA1w9qg ) that looks like a cheap knock off of sci - fi animated goodness. Never mind that Conan books came out sixty years previous and Thundarr's rip off was in many ways the other way around. There was actually a lot of the same confusing over The Incredibles Disney-Pixar movie and the release of The Fantastic Four a year later. The Voice Talent Do you KNOW who Robert Ridgely is? He is the God among Men that gave us the voice of Thundarr the Barbarian. However, you probably saw him as Boris the Hangman in Mel Brook's Blazing Saddles and a reprise role in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. If you did not, here is a look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHSkMwUa2i4 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM0sXkxyK5c . Yeah, theres your childhood hero right there. Ookla the Mok? Yeah, that's Henry Corden who went to voice Fred Flinstone after Alan Reed died. Those Fruity Pebbles commercials that inspired you to eat the cereal you watched Thundarr too? They were all voiced by the same guy who did Ookla The Mok. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGG1qfMcAIE yeah.... yeah... Princess Ariel was Nellie Bellflower. She did Princess Ariel... and well Eowyn from Rankin Bass' Return of the King and ... oh yes... she played a lovely enchanted tree in The Last Unicorn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCvEL41kIQg Its mostly down to Princess Ariel and ... well... the tree.Facebook Twitter Plot Directly inspired by comic books, with the likes of R.E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian and Flash Gordon, Thundarr the Barbarian is set in a future (3994 AD) post-apocalyptic wasteland divided into kingdoms or territories — the majority of which are ruled by wizards — and whose ruins typically feature recognizable geographical features from the United States, starting in New York City and working itself to Mount Rushmore, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other episodes with recognizable settings are located in Central America, Mexico and one in London. Another notable feature of this future Earth is that the Moon was broken in two pieces, but the gravity of the pieces drew them back together, orbiting at roughly the same height as the intact Moon once did. The shattered moon and the ruins of the former human civilization were caused by the passage of a runaway planet (more resembling a comet) between the Earth and the Moon in 1994, which, from scenes shown in the opening sequence, caused radical changes in the Earth's climate, geography and tidal effects. This was also called the Great Cataclysm. However, by the time period in which the series is set (2,000 years later), the Earth and Moon seem to have settled into a new balance. Earth is reborn in a world of savagery, super-science, and sorcery. The hero Thundarr (voiced by Robert Ridgely), a muscular warrior, was meant to be strongly akin to the comic book characters Thor the God of Thunder and Conan The Barbarian. In this setting, Thundarr and his companions Princess Ariel, a formidable young sorceress, and the Wookiee-like Ookla the Mok traveled the world on horseback, battling evil wizards who combine magical spells with technologies from the pre-catastrophe world. Opening narration The year: 1994. From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction! Man's civilization is cast in ruin! Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil. He is Thundarr, the Barbarian! Characters *'Thundarr' (voiced by Robert Ridgely) – The main protagonist of the series. He is a barbarian that was once a slave to Sabian until he was freed by Princess Ariel and given the Sunsword which he uses as a weapon in his fight against evil wizards and other villains. Further Star Wars influences can be seen in Thundarr's weapon of choice, the Sunsword, which projects a blade-like beam of energy when activated, and can be deactivated so that it is only a hilt. The Sunsword's energy blade can deflect other energy attacks as well as magical ones, can cut through nearly anything, and can disrupt magical spells and effects. The Sunsword is magically linked to Thundarr and as such, only he can use it; however, this link can be disrupted. Thundarr was frequently uttering such pronouncements as "Demon dogs!", "Lords of Light!", and the Thundarr war-cry "Aaaaahh-ee!". *This site uses a handful of cookies. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our use of cookies – explained on our cookies info page. Dismiss ask us about a character ... Princess Ariel Oakla the Mok Ookla the Mok is a companion of Thundarr the Barbarian. He first met Thundarr when he was captured and enslaved by the evil wizard Sabian, where he helped in the slave revolt. He has been with him ever since. As a Mok, Ookla has great strength, usually fighting by ripping up a nearby sapling or piece of wreckage to club his enemies. On a few occasions he is shown to use a longbow that fires a type of paralyzing arrow. However, he is also the most likely of the heroes to charge right into an enemy attack or to be enraged by unusual nuisances or threats. Both Thundarr and Ariel generally understand the howls that make up Ookla's speech, but Thundarr seems to know more about Mok culture than Ariel, perhaps because he and Ookla met and worked together as slaves before either met Ariel. Whereas Thundarr and Ariel ride horses for transport, Ookla's steed is another quadrapedal species called an equort. Description Ookla is a large, muscular leonine like humanoid, with a black and dark-gray beastly face, amber eyes, with cat-like pupils, black pointy ears, blond mane, three-fingered (plus thumb) claws, and cinnamon-brown fur. He is dressed in black boots and briefs. Ookla, like Chewbacca the Wookiee, doesn't talk in any human language, but Thundarr and Ariel seem to understand him, like Han Solo does his companion in the Star Wars mythology. The name "Ookla" actually comes from University of California, Los Angeles (commonly known as UCLA), and the puppet charactor Kukla, from Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Ookla was named by series creator Steve Gerber and his friend Martin Pasko. Gallery 872 in-depth character profiles from comics, games, movies Random entriesKeep this site alive Print Friendly Thundarr the Barbarian with Ariel, Ookla and title Thundarr the Barbarian Cartoon and Anime Other cartoons Thundarr the Barbarian Power Level: Mid-level Game System: MnM 3rd edition/DC Adventures Game system: DC Heroes Role-Playing Game Role: Character (Heroic) Jump to the game stats “The year 1994: From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man’s civilization is cast in ruin. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn… A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice ! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil. He is Thundarr, the Barbarian !” Context Thundarr the Barbarian as a 1980-1982 Saturday morning cartoon on US TV. As the quotes above helpfully recaps, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic far future. After an errant comet/planet nearly collided with Earth the world has been devastated, the Moon was broken, and it became possible to practice magic. The cartoon mixes a lot of comic book tropes of that day, as many of the people creating it came from comics (Steve Gerber, Jack Kirby and Alex Toth having played the largest roles). Advertisement Some stuff was also thrown in by producers who saw how the kids loved the then-recent Star Wars, so the hero is accompanied by a sort of Wookie and has a quasi-lightsabre. Thundarr did come before He-Man of the Masters of the Universe, albeit not by much. Though it had but 21 episodes, Thundarr had a notable impact on young Gen-Xers and retains significant nostalgia value. Background Real Name: Thundarr. Marital Status: Single. Known Relatives: None. Group Affiliation: Partner of Ookla and Ariel. Base Of Operations: Mobile. Height:6’0” Weight: 230 lbs. Eyes: Blue Hair: Light Brown w/ Black eyebrows Powers and Abilities Thundarr is a barbarian of near super-human strength. He enters hand-to-hand or melee combat with multiple opponents on a regular basis. Advertisement Thundarr’s courage is indomitable. He has never met a creature or a challenge that could un-nerve him. In his fight against the oppression of the wizards he wields the Sunsword. This is a powerful artifact able to slice through steel like it was butter. Thundarr uses the Sunsword to deflect incoming energy attacks, he has even deflected area-effect blasts like dragon’s breath, more than once. The Sunsword The Sunsword may only be used by the one who recharges it in the Pool of Power. If someone else holds the Sunsword its blade will not extend. Many times, when Thundarr has come across old technology he has been able to guess correctly about what to do with them. For instance, he has stopped a train by guessing what he needed to do to apply the brakes. More impressively, he has flown a helicopter and operated a dune-buggy without ever seeing these machines before in his life. Thundarr-Barbarian-cartoon-h1 Ride! Thundarr has trained his horse as well as Ariel’s horse and Ookla’s Equort to come when he whistles. He can get his horse to run for many hours or days without stopping and perform jumps (even leaping over angry men swinging metal pipes over their heads or onto moving ships). Thundarr can coax his horse to run into perilous situations and rear up on it’s hind legs. He may also mount his horse on the run. Thundarr doesn’t have the Pet advantage. Video A low-res but surprisingly clean version of the opening and closing credits of Thundarr. History Thundarr is the leader of a trio of heroes consisting of himself, the young sorceress Ariel and Ookla the Mok. They travel the post-apocalyptic Earth on horseback fighting the oppressive tyranny of wizards. The Earth”s surviving humans are no longer the dominant species. They thus live out their lives in a constant struggle for survival. Magic and super-science have changed the world. The Earth is now home to mutants, giant creatures, robotic constructs, and of course wizards. Ookla and Thundarr enter a building Thundarr’s past is a mystery. What we do know is he was held prisoner by a wizard. This is the very thing that made Thundarr who he is today; a man on a mission. After breaking free, he joined up with Ariel and Ookla perhaps during his escape, perhaps afterwards. But the three are inseparable. Description Thundarr is a young man perhaps in his late 20’s or early 30’s with shoulder length hair. He wears a fur vest and shorts as well as moccassins, all are brown in color. On his wrists are yellow bracers, on his left bracer rests the Sunsword. Personality Thundarr makes gut decisions. He will not hesitate to come to the defense of his friends. His distrust for wizards is a key motivation in Thundarr’s decision-making process. In Thundarr’s world the wizards oppress the remaining humans, so over time, Thundarr has built a deep resentment for them. Thundarr is stubborn and tends to act without thinking (that’s an understatement). But he’s basically a good person who wants to make the world a better place. Thundarr is demeaning towards women and cowards. He has no stomach for braggarts either. Quotes “Demon dogs !” “Lords of light !” “Ariel, Ookla, ride !” “AAAAAAHHHHHHH-YEEE !!” Human Leader: “What manner of man are you ?” Thundarr: “Free !” “No wizard commands Thundarr !” Speaking to Ookla: “Well done, old friend.” DC Universe History Thundarr lives in a post-apocalyptic Earth and would have a hard time adapting to our time. He, Ookla, and Ariel once traveled to the past and back again. They’ve also met scientist from our time. It would not be unreasonable to think it could happen again. Another thought would be to put Thundarr in Jonah Hex’s futuristic timeline. D&D Universes History Thundarr and crew would definitely oppose the Sorcerer Kings of Athas in the D&D Darksun Campaign setting. Star Wars influence Thundarr is inspired by R.E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian and Han Solo from the Star Wars films. Thundarr has an analagous sidekick in Ookla to Han’s Chewbacca. He also has the princess to protect in Ariel. Furthermore, he is a rebel fighting the powers that be. Further Star Wars influences can be seen in Thundarr’s weapon of choice, the “Sun Sword”, which projects a blade-like beam of energy when activated, and can be deactivated so that it is only a hilt. Sharing Related articles on Writeups.org Ookla the Mok Ookla the Mok In “Cartoon and Anime” Princess Ariel Princess Ariel In “Cartoon and Anime” Amethea Amethea In “1980s movies” Nightmaster Nightmaster In “Comics” Superman of 2465 Superman of 2465 In “Comics” Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian In “Comics” Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG Print Friendly Tell me more about the game stats Thundarr A 688 points Character Dex: 06 Str: 05 Bod: 05 Motivation: Seeking Justice Int: 04 Wil: 10 Min: 06 Occupation: Adventurer, Freedom Fighter Inf: 06 Aur: 04 Spi: 06 Resources {or Wealth}: 000 Init: 016 HP: 060 Skills: Acrobatics (Climbing, Athletics): 08, Animal Handling: 06, Military Science (Tracking): 04, Thief (Stealth)*: 06, Weaponry: 04, Weaponry (Melee): 08 Advantages: Iron Nerves; Languages: Mok (Thundarr understand’s the Mok language but only speaks English himself). Connections: Ariel (High), Ookla (High). Drawbacks: Enemy (Gemini the Wizard), Minor Irrational hatred of Wizards, Minor Miscellaneous: Thundarr is illiterate. Genre: Action. Equipment: Sunsword Cling: 05, Energy Absorption (Magic Energy): 07, Energy Blast: 13, Flash: 02, Reflection/Deflection: 07, Bonuses and Limitations — Energy Blast has no AV and no range. Energy Blast can be used to block energy attacks as if it were a solid object with BODY APs equal to Energy Blast (+2 FC). Cling only allows the Sunsword’s hilt to rest on Thundarr’s wristband. Flash cannot be used to attack, it only provides steady illumination up to the range of 02 APs and is elementally linked to Energy Blast. White Horse A Pet costing 73 HPs Dex: 02 Str: 04 Bod: 05 Motivation: Equine Int: 01 Wil: 01 Min: 02 Occupation: Horse Inf: 00 Aur: 00 Spi: 01 Resources {or Wealth}: N.A. Init: 003 HP: 000 Powers: Running: 05 Jump ! In the earliest episodes there was good reason to give Thundarr the Jumping power with the Catfall Bonus, Only Useable With the Catfall Bonus. Thundarr could fall from ANY height without worry and land on his feet or on the back of his horse. The farthest jump being from a rocket headed for outerspace. He and his companions leapt from it on horseback and landed in the ocean unhurt. In later episodes Thundarr is more concerned when falling and takes measures to save himself. When looking at Thundarr’s incredible ability to leap from any height without harm, I came to the Jumping AP value of 08 because 07 is maximum falling AP value within Earth’s atmosphere. If GM’s want to incorporate this they should add it but I don’t think it was the intention of the writers at the time, so it’s not included in this writeup. Powers: Jumping: 07 Bonuses and Limitations: Jumping has the Catfall bonus. Jumping may only be used at 01 AP unless using the catfall bonus. Jumping is Usable on others, those who jump with him, but Thundarr does not lose the use of the power himself. Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG Print Friendly Tell me more about the game stats Thundarr — Averaged PL 10.4 STR STA AGL DEX FGT INT AWE PRE 04 03 04 01 06 01 03 02 Powers Superior blocking ● 4 points (Easily Removable – requires the Sun Sword or durable blocking object) ● Descriptor: Skill Deflection 11, Limited 1 (to Energy Descriptor), Reduced Range, Reflect. Devices Sun Sword ● 13 points (Easily Removable) ● Descriptor: Super-science – Energy blade — Energy Damage 13, Enhanced Feat (Weapon Break). – Energy glow — Environment (Light) 1, improves illumination by one step. – Energy absorption — Impervious Protection 6, Impervious Toughness 6, Sustained (all are Limited 2 to Magical Energy). Combat Advantages Close Attack 3, Defensive Roll 3, Fearless, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Combat 4, Takedown, Weapon Break (w/Sunsword). Other Advantages Beginner’s Luck, Extraordinary Effort, Languages 1 (Mok), Second Chance (Tumbling), Tracking. Skills Acrobatics 7 (+11), Athletics 7 (+11), Close Combat (Swords) 3 (+12), Deception 3 (+5), Expertise (Cowards) 2 (+3), Expertise (Riding) 8 (+9), Expertise (Animal Training) 8 (+9), Insight 5 (+7), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 1 (+3), Stealth 5 (+9). Offense Initiative +4 Unarmed +9, Close, Damage 4 Sun Sword +12, Close, Damage 13 Defense Dodge 10 Fortitude 7 Parry 10 Toughness 6/3* Will 9 * Without Defensive Roll Complications No Wizard Commands Thundarr Thundarr hates wizards, and will not miss any opportunity to attack or insult one. This prejudice does not extend to Ariel. Presumably, his hatred only extends to wizards who use their unnatural powers to dominate others. Enemy Gemini, among others. Illiterate Thundarr cannot read, nor would he wish to. Relationships Thundarr is a steadfast friend of Ookla and Ariel, and would never abandon them for any reason. You Can’t Fight a Whole City, Thundarr Thundarr is a man of action. Planning is antithetical to his free spirit, and he sometimes acts with rash overconfidence. In his better moments, he acts with the ordinary sort of overconfidence. He considers himself invincible, and an expert on virtually anything he considers worth doing. Seeking Justice Thundarr opposes all those who would enslave others. Power levels Trade-off areas Attack & Effect PL 13, Dodge/Toughness PL 8 (11 vs. magic), Parry/Toughness PL 8 (11 vs. magic), Fort & Will PL 8. Point total 131. Abilities 48, Defences 20, Skills 27, Powers 4, Devices 13, Advantages 19. Equiv. PL 9. Notes Thundar’s Superior Blocking primarily reflects his expertise with the Sunsword; however, he can block effectively with any suitably durable object, such as a car door or a copper American penny grown to gargantuan size. His Extraordinary Effort reflects his frankly obscene physical feats. Second Chance (Tumbling) allows him to reliably fall from almost any height. Thanks to his Beginner’s Luck, he can, in a pinch, fly a helicopter, sabotage complex machinery, or even (in truly desperate circumstances) persuade others to help him. Thundarr has an Expertise in identifying cowards and their characteristics. For instance, he knows that the death machines of cowards are of no use against him, is able to identify cowardly uses of sorcery, etc. Giddyup ! HEAVY WARHORSE PL 5 STR 4, STA 4, AGI 2, DEX 0, FGT 3, INT -4, AWE 1, PRE -2 Powers: Growth 4 (Permanent, Innate), Senses 2 (Low-Light Vision; Accurate Smell), Speed 1 Skills: Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+6), Perception 5 (+6). Offense: Init +2, Unarmed +6 (Damage 4), Defenses: Dodge 4, Parry 4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5, Will 3. Totals: Abilities 0 + Powers 12 + Skills 4 + Defenses 9 = 25 points. By Ethan Roe. Source of Character: Thundarr the Barbarian the 1980s animated series by Ruby Spears Productions. Voice by Bob Ridgely. Helper(s): Wikipedia, rpglibrary.org , Under the Broken Moon RPG, Star Wars – Lightsabers v1.2. M&M stats by Pawsplay. Adνеrtisеmеnt null Collected Thundarr episodes (and similar 1980s shows) Thundarr the Barbarian Advertisement Thundarr the Barbarian face closeup Thundarr the Barbarian with his white horse rearing Adνеrtisеmеnt Thundarr the Barbarian riding with his sword out Thundarr the Barbarian in a swamp upper body shot Thundarr the Barbarian with his sunsword ready Thundarr the Barbarian breaking his chains Thundarr the Barbarian on his white horse in a swamp Thundarr the Barbarian chained in an arena Thundarr the Barbarian jumping down Thundarr the Barbarian standing proud in a crowd Thundarr the Barbarian and Ookla in a tunnel Scott JamesMaster Sergeant Celine McGowan aka Echo Zombie Writeups.org is a non-commercial, community site We chat and work at the DC Heroes Yahoo! group . Follow us Writeups.org profiles recommended by El Kabong: nullCdr. Shepard (Mass Effect)nullAlamen Tabris (Dragon Age)nullChosen One (Fallout 2)nullGitane (Everquest)nullDevil's Executioner (Grim Dawn)nullJedi Knight Sabra (SW:TOR) easy ways to keep writeups.org alive ! Share articles on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Link to germane writeups.org articles on the web (your blog, online forums, comments areas…) Donate from time to time Buy whatever you need on Amazon.com after clicking on a writeups.org recommendation Please do not adblock us, our ads load is minimal. Join the community to help, comment, write, discuss, think. copyright 2015 – writeups.org UI designer : Jaetheme.com Ookla the Mok (voiced by Henry Corden) – Ookla is a member of the Mok species, a leonine humanoid with fangs and yellow eyes. In Thundarr the Barbarian's back-story, Ookla and Thundarr were enslaved in the court of the wizard Sabian until Sabian's stepdaughter Princess Ariel helped them escape. As a Mok, Ookla has great strength, usually fighting by ripping up a nearby sapling or piece of wreckage to club his enemies. On a few occasions he is shown to use a longbow that fires a type of paralyzing arrow. However, he is also the most likely of the heroes to charge right into an enemy attack or to be enraged by unusual nuisances or threats. Moks dwell in their own territory, ruled by a king; they fear and hate water, preferring to face overwhelming odds in battle rather than wade through a stream to escape. Both Thundarr and Ariel generally understand the howls that make up Ookla's speech, but Thundarr seems to know more about Mok culture than Ariel, perhaps because he and Ookla met and worked together as slaves before either met Ariel. Whereas Thundarr and Ariel ride horses for transport, Ookla's steed is another quadrupedal species called an equort. *'Princess Ariel' (voiced by Nellie Bellflower) – Ariel is a beautiful and powerful sorceress. Not much was revealed about her past before she met Thundarr except that she was the stepdaughter of an evil wizard named Sabian. She learned of Earth's history from his library. In the episode "Battle of The Barbarians", Thundarr was once a slave of the evil wizard Sabian before being freed by Princess Ariel. It is also thought that she gave Thundarr his principal weapon, the Sunsword. It was never revealed exactly where she was a princess. Her most common feats of sorcery involved creating light constructs, ranging from throwing exploding spheres to levitating weights to summoning nets, shields, or bridges over chasms. She could also produce powerful energy blasts, blinding light and magically reanimate machines. At times she shows romantic feelings toward Thundarr. Though he never outwardly returns them, it is clear that he does care for her. Other useful links: *http://www.thundarr.com/index.htmlthundarr.com *http://www.rpglibrary.org/settings/thundarr/index.shtml another cool fan-site